Near field communication antenna system for a playset

ABSTRACT

A playset comprises a near field communication extending system. The near field communication extending comprises a main antenna and a plurality of extending antennas. The main antenna is positioned at a first location of the playset and configured to wirelessly communicate to a near field communication device of a mobile device. The plurality of extending antennas is positioned at a plurality of different locations in an interior of the playset. Each of the plurality of extending antennas is connectable to the main antenna via a plurality of connection elements. The playset further comprises an antenna switching mechanism coupled to the plurality of extending antennas via a plurality of connection elements. The antenna switching mechanism is configured to switchably couple the main antenna with each of the plurality of extending antennas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/714,280, filed Dec. 13, 2019, and is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Playsets having interactive features provide a user with an enhanceduser experience. For example, playsets may include video and/or andsound playback features that may be triggered based on a user's actions.A user may insert an object (e.g., a play piece or game piece) within aplayset and the playset may initiate video playback and/or soundplayback in response. In current implementations, the antenna systems ofplaysets have limited communication distances. Accordingly, to interactwith objects in different rooms of a playset, a user is required to movea mobile device from room to room, positioning the mobile deviceproximate to each object. Thus, the user experience of such playsets isreduced.

Thus, there is a need for improved near field communication antennasystem for communicating with a playset.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a near field communication extending system for aplayset comprises a main antenna and a plurality of extending antennas.The main antenna is positioned at a first location of the playset andconfigured to wirelessly communicate to a near field communicationdevice of a mobile device. The plurality of extending antennas ispositioned at a plurality of different locations within the playset. Thenear field communication extending system further comprising an antennaswitching mechanism coupled to the plurality of extending antennas via aplurality of connection elements. The antenna switching mechanism isconfigured to switchably couple the main antenna with each of theplurality of extending antennas.

In one embodiment, a playset comprises a near field communicationextending system. The near field communication extending comprises amain antenna and a plurality of extending antennas. The main antenna ispositioned at a first location of the playset and configured towirelessly communicate to a near field communication device of a mobiledevice. The plurality of extending antennas is positioned at a pluralityof different locations in an interior of the playset. The near fieldcommunication extending system further comprising an antenna switchingmechanism coupled to the plurality of extending antennas via a pluralityof connection elements. The antenna switching mechanism is configured toswitchably couple the main antenna with each of the plurality ofextending antennas.

In one embodiment, a near field communication (NFC) device comprises afirst NFC tag having a first antenna coupled to a first memory, a secondNFC tag having a second antenna coupled to a second memory, and a firstshield disposed between the first and second NFC tags. The first shieldcomprises a ferrite material and bounds each side of the first antennaand each side of the second antenna.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited aspects are attained andcan be understood in detail, a more particular description ofembodiments described herein, briefly summarized above, may be had byreference to the appended drawings.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustratetypical embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting;other equally effective embodiments are contemplated.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are illustrations of a playset, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an interior of a playset, according to oneor more embodiments.

FIG. 2B depicts a virtual presentation, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile device, according to oneor more embodiments.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are illustrations of a playset, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are illustrations of a playset, according to one ormore embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for a method for interacting with a playset,according to one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are illustrations of playsets, according to one ormore embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for a method for interacting with a playset,according to one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 12, 13A, 13B, 14, 15, and 16 are illustrations of a NFC device,according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for a method for interacting with a playset,according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Interactive playsets provide a user an improved user experience ascompared to playsets that do not include interactive capabilities.However, current interactive playsets have limitations that negativelyimpact the user experience such as limited video or sound playbackoptions and frequent charging or replacement of batteries. In thefollowing description, an improved playset and method for interactingwith a playset is described where a mobile device is used in theinteraction of the playset, providing the interactive features to theplayset. Accordingly, the interactive features of the playset areincreased from those using other designs. Further, as the playset nolonger provides the interactive elements, batteries may be omitted fromthe playset, decreasing the cost of the playset.

FIG. 1A illustrates a playset 100, according to one or more embodiments.The playset 100 may have various different forms and/or sizes. Forexample, as illustrated by FIG. 1A, the playset 100 is in the shape of ahouse. However, in other embodiments, the playset 100 may be a castle, astore, a restaurant, an attraction, a place of interest, and a garage,among others. The playset 100 includes a structure 102 that includeswalls 105 and roof 106, which collectively form one or more interiorrooms (not shown). Further, the housing includes a plurality ofopenings, e.g., openings 110 and 120. In other embodiments, the playset100 may include more or less walls than illustrated in FIG. 1A. Further,in one or more embodiments, the roof 106 may have a different shapeand/or include additional features (e.g., spires, towers, or the like).

The openings 110 and 120 provide access to an interior (e.g., aninterior region) 104 of the playset 100. The opening 110 is locatedwithin the roof 106 and is sized to allow at least a portion of a mobiledevice, e.g., the mobile device 150, to be exposed to the interior ofthe playset 100. For example, the opening 110 may be sized such that asensor of a mobile device is exposed to and able to access the interiorof the playset 100. FIG. 1B illustrates the mobile device 150 mounted tothe roof 106 and over the opening 110.

The playset 100 may include a support element 112. The support element112 may be positioned on the roof 106 around one or more sides of theopening 110. Further, the support element 112 may include one or moresupport elements configured to maintain the position of the mobiledevice 150 over the opening 110. For example, the mobile device 150 mayrest on the support element 112 (e.g., a ledge or holder in which abottom portion of the mobile device 150 is inserted) such that themobile device 150 is positioned over the opening 110. When positionedover the opening 110, one or more sensors of the mobile device 150 maybe able to interact with (e.g., image, scan, or the like) objects of theinterior 104. In one embodiment, the length and/or width of the opening110 is smaller than the length and width of the mobile device 150 sothat the mobile device 150 does not fall into the interior of thestructure 102.

In various embodiments, the opening 110 and the support element 112 maybe positioned along more of the walls 105 instead of the roof 106.

The opening 120 provides access to the interior 104. For example, one ormore objects or toys (e.g., the object 130) may be positioned within orremoved from the interior 104 through the opening 120. The opening 120may be a door, window, or another type of opening. In variousembodiments, the playset 100 includes three or more openings. Forexample, the playset 100 includes the openings 110, 120 and one or moreadditional openings. The additional openings may be located within thewalls 105 and/or the roof 106.

The playset 100 may additionally include an identification tag 107. Theidentification tag 107 may be a near-field communication (NFC) tag. TheNFC tag may also be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag or aBluetooth low energy (BLE) tag, among others. The identification tag 107may be a passive device, and thus, not powered by batteries.Alternatively, the identification tag 107 may be an active devicepowered by a power supply (e.g., one or more batteries or wirelesslyacquired) of the structure 102. In one or more embodiments, theidentification tag 107 communicates with the mobile device 150. Forexample, the identification tag 107 may communicate data correspondingto the playset 100 to the mobile device 150. In other embodiments, theidentification tag 107 may be a barcode, QRcode (e.g., amulti-dimensional barcode), glyph, etc. readable by the mobile device150.

The mobile device 150 may be a mobile phone or a tablet, among others.In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the mobile device 150comprises a display 152 configured to present a virtual presentation ofthe interior 104. The virtual presentation may be an augmented versionof the interior 104. For example, the virtual presentation may include acombination of physical objects and features actually in the interior104 and details and/or elements not present within the interior 104. Thelatter details and elements being virtual augmentations to the virtualpresentation. Further, the virtual presentation may correspond to thetype of the playset. For example, if the type of the playset isdetermined to be a castle, the virtual presentation may depict aninterior of a castle.

FIG. 2A illustrates the interior 104 of the playset 100, according toone or more embodiments. As illustrated, the walls 105 and the roof 106have been made transparent such that a view of the interior 104 isunobstructed to visual inspection from the exterior. Further, in theembodiment of FIG. 2A, the object 130 is positioned within the interior104. Additionally, objects 131 and 132 are positioned within theinterior 104. The object 130 may include identification tag 230, theobject 131 may include the identification tag 231, and the object 132may include the identification tag 232. Alternatively, one or more ofthe objects 130, 131, and 132 may omit a corresponding identificationtag. Further, one or more of the identification tags 230, 231, and 232may be NFC tags. For example, the identification tags 230, 231, and 232may be one of an RFID tag, and a BLE tag, among others. In otherembodiments, one or more of the identification tags 230, 231 and 232 mayinclude a barcode, QRcode, or glyph, among others. While in theembodiment of FIG. 2A, three objects are included within the interior104, in other embodiments, more than three objects or less than threeobjects may be included within the interior 104. Further, in one or moreembodiments, the objects 131 and 132 may comprise a substantiallysimilar shape (e.g., a cube). However, in other embodiments, the objects131 and 132 may differ in shape. Further, the size of the objects 131and 132 may differ or be the same.

In one embodiment, the identification tags 230, 231, and 232 includeidentification information of the objects 130, 131, and 132,respectively. The information may be utilized by the mobile device 150to select and/or generate a virtual presentation. In one or moreembodiments, one or more of the objects 131 and 132 may have a shape,size and/or element that may be identified by the mobile device 150 andutilized by the mobile device 150 to select and/or generate a virtualpresentation to be displayed by the display 152 of the mobile device150.

The playset 100 may additionally include identification tag 240. Theidentification tag 240 may be utilized by the mobile device 150 toselect and/or generate a virtual presentation to be displayed by thedisplay 152 of the mobile device 150. For example, the identificationtag 240 may have one or of a size, shape, and or element that may beidentified by the mobile device 150 and utilized to select a virtualpresentation to be displayed. In various embodiments, the playset 100may include more than one identification tag 240.

FIG. 2B illustrates virtual presentation 200, according to one or moreembodiments. The virtual presentation 200 is displayed on the display152 based on the data acquired by the mobile device 150. Further, thevirtual presentation 200 may be displayed on the display 152 of themobile device 150 while the mobile device 150 is mounted to the roof 106of the playset 100, as illustrated in FIG. 2B. The virtual presentation200 comprises virtual content. For example, the virtual presentation 200may comprise virtual objects 212, 261, and 262. Further, the virtualpresentation 200 is an augmented view of the interior 104 of the playset100. For example, in response to determining the playset 100 correspondsto a castle, a virtual presentation 200 of an interior view of a castleis displayed. The objects 130, 131, 132 in FIG. 2A may also berepresented within the virtual presentation 200 by virtual objects 212,261, 262, respectively. That is, the objects 130, 131, and 132 arepresented with augmented features. For example, in the virtualpresentation 200, the physical object 130 is displayed as includingelements 212 a-212 c to form a virtual version (e.g., virtual object212) of the physical object 130. Further, the objects 131 and 132 aredisplayed as virtual objects (elements) 261, 262, respectively, withinthe virtual presentation 200. In one embodiment, the virtual objects 261and 262 have a different shape and/or color from the objects 131, 132.For example, the virtual object 261 is depicted as a chair while thephysical object 131 is a cube. Further, the virtual object 262 isdepicted as a table while the physical object 132 is a cube. Dependingon the selected virtual presentation, objects 131 and 132 may bepresented differently. The number of objects within the virtualpresentation 200 may correspond to the number of objects within theinterior 104. Additionally, the location of the objects within thevirtual presentation 200 may correspond to the location of correspondingobjects within the interior 104. The location of the objects within theinterior 104 may be determined by the mobile device 150 based on sensordata received from one of the sensors 154.

In one or more embodiments, the virtual presentation 200 mayadditionally include a virtual fireplace 220 having a virtual burningfire. For example, one or more of the objects of the playset 100 may bea fireplace. The mobile device 150 may determine that the sensor datareceived from an object of the playset 100 identifies a fireplace.Accordingly, a virtual presentation comprising a fireplace having aburning fire based on sensor data may be selected and displayed by thedisplay 152 of the mobile device 150. Similarly, virtual presentationshaving other virtual objects with motion may be selected based on dataacquired by the mobile device 150. For example, a virtual presentationcomprising virtual content including flowing water may be selected whenone or more of the objects of the playset 100 is identified as includingor corresponding to a water feature (e.g., a fountain, a stream, or thelike).

The virtual presentation 200 simulates a view of the interior of theplayset 100 that includes physical objects with added augmented reality(AR) features or a view made completely from virtual reality (VR)elements that may not look like the physical objects (e.g., objects 130,130, and/or 132) within the playset 100. Thus, the mobile device 150 canprovide a very different view of the interior of the playset 100relative to when the mobile device 150 is not placed in the opening 110.Further, leveraging the memory 157 and display 152 of the mobile device150 enhances the user experience with the playset 100 without addingadditional cost to the playset 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the mobile device 150,according to one or more embodiment. The mobile device 150 may includeone or more sensors 154. The sensors 154 may include one or more of anNFC device 155, a camera 156 a, and a camera 156 b. The NFC device 155may also be a RFID device, or a BLE device, among others. Further, theNFC device 155 may include a reader configured to acquire informationfrom an NFC object or element. In embodiments where the NFC device 155is an RFID device, the NFC device 155 includes an antenna. In oneembodiment, the NFC device 155 is a barcode reader. In one or moreembodiments, the mobile device 150 includes more than one NFC device155.

The mobile device 150 further includes a controller 153. The controller153 may be any general purpose processor. For example, the controller153 may be a central processing unit (CPU) of the mobile device 150.Further, the mobile device 150 may include memory 157. The controller153 may be communicatively coupled with the memory 157. The memory 157may be a computer readable storage medium. The memory 157 may store aplurality of virtual presentations 158 that are selected by thecontroller 153. Further, the memory 157 may store a computer visionsystem 159 configured to identify one or more physical objects and/orfeatures of physical objects from sensor data acquired by one or more ofthe cameras 156 a, 156 b. For example, the computer vision system 159may receive data received from one or more of the sensors, process thedata to detect one or more possible objects, and compare the possibleobjects to example data to determine whether or not the possible objectsare actual objects and/r to identify the object.

The mobile device 150 may additionally include an input device 160. Theinput device 160 may be a touch sensor (touch interface), a mouse, orkeyboard, among others. The input device 160 receives input provided bya user which may be used by the controller 153 to augment the virtualpresentation displayed on the display 152. For example, the input device160 may be a touch sensor that acquires input data (e.g., locationand/or movement data) for one or more input objects (e.g., a user'sdigits or a stylus) and based on the input data, the virtualpresentation (e.g., the virtual presentation 200) may be altered.Altering the virtual presentation may comprise one or more of enlarginga portion of a virtual presentation, minimizing a portion of a virtualpresentation, altering a position of a virtual representation of anobject, e.g., the virtual object 212, and imparting motion on a virtualrepresentation of an object. In one or more embodiments, a video fileand/or a sound file may be played based on input data received by theinput device 160.

The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is notlimited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, anoptical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, or a floppy disk, among others. The memory 157 retainsand stores instructions executable by the controller 153. Additionally,one or more applications may be stored within the memory 157. Theapplications may be executable by the controller 153.

In various embodiments, the sensors 154 may be utilized to scan or imagethe interior 104 acquire data corresponding to the playset 100 and/orone or more objects within the interior 104. The mobile device 150 maydetermine a type of playset based acquired data. Further, the mobiledevice 150 generates a virtual presentation of the playset 100 based onthe acquired data.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a playset 400, according to one ormore embodiments. The playset 400 may have various different formsand/or sizes like the playset 100 described in FIG. 1A. The playset 400includes structure 402. The structure 402 includes surfaces 404 a, 404b, and 404 c. The surface 404 b includes opening 410 and the surface 404a includes a window 406. The opening 410 is sized so that the display152 of the mobile device 150 is viewable through the window 406. Themobile device 150 generates a virtual presentation of the object 130and/or other objects of within the playset 400 based on data acquired bya sensor of the mobile device 150. As described with regard to FIGS. 1,2A, and 2B, the virtual presentation may include an augmented version ofan object or objects within the playset 400. The virtual presentationsimulates a view of the interior region of the playset 400 that includesphysical objects with added AR features or a view made completely fromVR elements that do not look like the physical objects within theplayset 400. Thus, the mobile device 150 can provide a very differentview of the interior of the playset 400 relative to what a viewer seeswhen the mobile device 150 is not placed in the opening 410.Accordingly, the user experience with the playset 400 is enhanced byleveraging the memory 157 and display 152 of the mobile device 150without adding additional cost to the playset 400 (e.g., without addinga display and memory for presenting the virtual presentation).

In one or more embodiment, the input device 160 of the mobile device 150acquires input data which may be used by the controller 153 to augmentthe virtual presentation displayed on the display 152 of the mobiledevice 150. For example, a user may interact with the input device 160of the mobile device 150 via the window 406.

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the playset 400, according to one ormore embodiments. As illustrated, the playset 400 includes opening 420.The opening 420 provides access to the interior 405 of the structure402. For example, the object 130 may be inserted into the interior 405via the opening 420. Further, objects 430 and 431 may be inserted intothe interior 405 via the opening 420. In one embodiment, the objects 430and 431 may be mounted on a door 440 of the structure 402. The objects430 and 432 may include identification tags 431 and 433. Theidentification tags may be configured similar to that of theidentification tags 231 and 232. In one embodiment, one or more of theobjects 430 and 432 may omit the identification tags 431 and 433,respectively. Further, the identification tags 431 and 433 may containidentification information corresponding to the objects 430 and 432,respectively, which may be utilized by the mobile device 150 to identifythe objects 430 and 432 and/or generate a virtual presentation. Theplayset 400 may additionally include the identification tag 407. Theidentification tag 407 may be configured similar to that of theidentification tag 107. Further, the identification tag 407 may beutilized by the mobile device 150 to determine the type of the playset400 and/or generate the virtual presentation. In various embodiments,the playset 400 may include more than one identification tag 407.

In one or more embodiments, the mobile device 150 displays a virtualpresentation based on the object 130, and 430, and 432. The virtualpresentation displayed on the display 152 of the mobile device 150 isviewable through the window 406. In one or more embodiments, the virtualpresentation includes an augmented version of object 130. The augmentedversion of object 130 may be generated based on data received from oneor more of the identification tags 407, 431, and 432. For example, thevirtual presentation may include virtual content corresponding to theobject 130 and one or more of the objects 430 and 432.

FIG. 6A illustrates playset 600 and objects 602. The playset 600 may beconfigured similar to that of the playset 400. Further, the virtualpresentation 604 displayed on the display 152 may correspond to one ormore of the type of the playset 600 and data received from the objects602. For example, the type of the playset 600 may be determined to be aboutique. The type of playset 600 may be determined based on dataacquired from the objects 602 and/or an identification tag of theplayset 600. The objects 602 may include clothes and other objects thatwhen identified by a mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 150) mayalter the appearance of the object within a virtual presentation 604.For example, the virtual presentation 604 may include an augmented viewof the object 602 a based on one or more of the objects 602 b. In theillustrated embodiment, the object 602 a is shown as wearing one or moreof the objects 602 b.

FIG. 6B illustrates playset 610 and objects 612. The playset 610 may beconfigured similar to that of the playset 400. Further, the virtualpresentation 614 displayed on the display 152 may correspond to one ormore of the type of the playset 610 and data received from the objects612. For example, the type of the playset 610 may be determined to be abakery. The type of playset 600 may be determined based on data acquiredfrom the objects 612 and/or an identification tag of the playset 610.The virtual presentation 614 may include an augmented view of one ormore of the objects 612. Alternatively, the virtual presentation 614 mayinclude an object generated based on data received corresponding to theobjects 612. For example, the virtual presentation 614 includes a cakegenerated in response to the objects 612 being identified as ingredientscorresponding to the cake. In or more embodiments, a user may collectobjects corresponding to the ingredients of a cake. The ingredients maybe part of a recipe. The user may place the objects within the structureof a playset (e.g., the playset 400) to be identified by a mobile device(e.g., the mobile device 150). In response, the mobile device 150 maydisplay a virtual presentation including virtual content correspondingto the objects.

FIG. 6C illustrates playset 620 and objects 622. The playset 620 may beconfigured similar to that of the playset 400. The virtual presentation624 may be generated based on data corresponding to the playset 620and/or the objects 622. For example, the data corresponding to theplayset 620, the objects 622 and/or an identification tag of the playset610 may be utilized by the mobile device 150 to identify the type of theplayset 620 as being an aquarium. Accordingly, a corresponding virtualpresentation 624 is displayed by the mobile device 150. In oneembodiment, the virtual presentation 624 includes a virtual presentationof object 622 a augmented by one or more of the objects 622 b. Forexample, the virtual presentation 624 may include a presentation of theobject 622 a augmented to include one or more of the objects 622 b. Inone embodiment, the presentation of the object 622 a may be augmented tobe wearing one or more of the objects 622 b and/or interacting with oneor more of the objects 622 b. In or more embodiments, the objects 622 bare accessories for object 622 a. A user may place the objects 622within the structure of a playset (e.g., the playset 400) to beidentified by a mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 150). Inresponse, the mobile device 150 may display a virtual presentationincluding virtual content corresponding to a virtualized version of theobject 622 a wearing the objects 622 b.

One or more of the virtual presentations 604, 614, and 624 may bechanged by changing one or more of the objects 602, 612, and 622,respectively. For example, the presentation of the object 602 a withinvirtual presentation 604 may be altered in response to detection thatone or more of the objects 602 b was changed. In one embodiment, withreference to FIG. 6C, switching one or more of the objects 622 b withanother object alters the virtual appearance of the object 622 a withinthe virtual presentation 624. Further, one or more of the virtualpresentations 604, 614, and 624 may be altered based on input receivedby the input device 160 of the mobile device 150. For example, theposition and/or orientation of a virtual object within a virtualpresentation (e.g., the virtual presentations 604, 614, and 624) may bealtered based on input received by the input device 160. In one or moreembodiments, a video file and/or a sound file may be played based on aninput received by the input device 160.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 6A-6C, the housing of the playset (e.g., thestructure 402 of the playset 400 of FIG. 4 ), may include one or morefeatures corresponding to the type of the playset. For example, thehousing may include a sign, illustration, and/or shape that correspondto the type of the playset that further enhances the user experience byfurther immersing a user within the corresponding virtual presentation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for interacting with aplayset, according to one or more embodiments. At operation 710, themobile device 150 acquires data corresponding to a playset (e.g., theplayset 100, 400). The controller 153 instructs one or more of thesensors to acquire data from the playset. In one or more embodiments, auser may provide instructions to acquire sensor data via an applicationrunning on the mobile device 150 and the input device 160.

At operation 712, an identification tag of a playset (e.g., theidentification tag 107 of playset 100 or the identification tag 407 ofplayset 400) is read. With regard to FIG. 1A, the NFC device 155 of themobile device 150 communicates with the identification tag 107 toacquire data corresponding to the playset 100. In one embodiment, theidentification tag 107 is an NFC tag read by the NFC device 155 of themobile device 150. For example, the identification tag 107 may be apassive NFC tag, and an antenna of the identification tag 107 is poweredby a power signal provided by one or more antennas of the NFC device 155through a wireless coupling. The power signal provides radio energy tothe identification tag 107 to power a processor of the identificationtag 107. In response to the power signal, the processor of theidentification tag 107 is powered and data stored by a memory of theidentification tag 107 may be accessed by the processor and wirelesslyprovided to an antenna of the NFC device 155 in the mobile device 150.In another embodiment, the identification tag 107 is an active taghaving a local power source. In such an embodiment, when the NFC device155 is positioned proximate the identification tag 107, an antenna ofthe NFC device 155 couples with an antenna of the identification tag 107and a processor of the identification tag wirelessly communicates datafrom a memory of the identification tag to the NFC device 155. While theabove discussion is directed to the identification tag 107 and theplayset 100, a similar description may be applied to the identificationtag 407 and the playset 400.

In one or more embodiments, one or more of the identification tags 107and 407 is a BLE tag and includes a BLE transceiver. In such anembodiment, the BLE transceiver wirelessly communicates with the NFCdevice 155 of mobile device 150 to communicate data regarding theplayset (e.g., the playset 100, 400) from the identification tag.

In other embodiments, one or more of the identification tags 107 and 407includes a barcode, QRcode, or a glyph, among others, and the camera 156a may be configured to image the barcode, QRcode, or glyph such that themobile device 150 obtains data corresponding to the playset 100 and 400,respectively.

Further, in various embodiments, the computer vision system 159 mayidentify the identification tags 107 and 407. For example, the computervision system 159 receives acquired data from the camera 156 acorresponding to the identification tags 107 and 407, processes theacquired data to detect one or more possible objects, and compares thepossible objects to templates to identify the identification tags 107and 407.

In various embodiments, acquiring data from a playset comprisesoperation 714, reading an identification tag of one or more objects ofthe playset. For example, the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150communicates with one or more of the identification tag 230 of theobject 130, the identification tag 231 of the object 131, theidentification tag 232 of the object 132, or the identification tag 240of FIG. 2A. Further, the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150communicates with one or more of the identification tag 230 of theobject 130, the identification tag 431 of the object 131, and theidentification tag 433 of the object 432.

The mobile device 150 may receive data from one or more of theidentification tags 230, 231, 232, 240, 431 and 433. For example, in oneembodiment, one or more of the identification tags 230, 231, 232, 431and 433 are passive NFC tags and the NFC device 155 of the mobile device150 provides a power signal to one or more of the identification tags230, 231, 232, 240, 431 and 433. In response, a processor of each of thepassive identification tags is powered and communicates data storedwithin a memory of the identification tags to the NFC device 155. Inanother embodiment, one or more of the identification tags 230, 231,232, 240, 431 and 433 are active NFC tags and the NFC device 155 of themobile device 150 receives data from the one or more of theidentification tags in response to an antenna of the NFC device 155coupling to an antenna of the identification tags. Further, in otherembodiments, one or more of the identification tags 230, 231, 232, 240,431 and 433 are BLE devices and communicate information to the mobiledevice 150 via the NFC device 155. In such an embodiment, the NFC device155 may be a BLE device configured to receive data from the one or moreof the identification tags 230, 231, 232, 240, 431 and 433.

In one or more embodiments, acquiring data corresponding to a playsetadditionally, or alternatively, includes operation 716. In operation716, the interior of the playset (e.g., interior 104 of the playset 100or the interior 405 of the playset 400) is imaged. With reference toFIG. 1A, the mobile device 150 may image the interior 104 of the playset100 utilizing the camera 156 a. In one embodiment, imaging the interior104 of the playset 100 acquires data corresponding to one or more of theplayset 100, the object 130, the object 131 and the object 132. Further,one or more of the objects 130, 131, and 132 may include an identifyingelement that may be detected by the mobile device 150 when the interior104 is imaged. The identifying elements may be imaged and utilized by ofthe mobile device 150 to identify a feature of the playset 100. Theidentifying elements may be a barcode, QRcode, glyph, or the like.Further, the identifying elements may be a shape of an object, a size ofan object, a color of an object, and/or a feature of the object.

In one or more embodiments, the mobile device 150 images the interior405 of the playset 400 using, e.g., the camera 156 a. In one embodiment,the mobile device 150 images the interior 405 of the playset 400 andacquires data corresponding to one or more of the object 130, the object430 and/or the object 432. For example, one or more of the objects 130,430, and 432 includes an identifying feature that may be imaged andidentified by the mobile device 150. The computer vision system 159 mayreceive the images and identify one or more of the objects 130, 430, and432. Further, the computer vision system 159 may detect identifyingelements within of the objects 130, 430, and 432 which aid in theidentification of the objects. For example, the identifying elements ofthe objects 130, 430, 432 may be a barcode, QRcode, or glyph, amongothers. Further, the identifying elements may be a shape of an object, asize of an object, a color of an object, and/or a feature of the object.

In other embodiments, mobile device 150 acquires data corresponding tothe position of one or more of the object 130, the object 131, and theobject 132 within the interior 104 via the camera 156. Similarly, themobile device 150 may acquire data corresponding to the position of oneor more of the object 130, the object 430, and the object 432 within theinterior 405 via the camera 156.

In various embodiments, acquiring data corresponding to a playsetincludes one or more of operations 712-716. For example, in oneembodiment, acquiring data corresponding to a playset comprises at leasttwo of the operations 712-716. In other embodiments, acquiring datacorresponding to a playset comprises each of the operations 712-716.

At operation 720, the controller 153 selects a virtual presentation fromthe virtual presentations 158 to be displayed on the display 152 of themobile device 150. For example, the controller 153 may select a virtualpresentation based on the data acquired during one or more of operations712-716. In one embodiment, the controller 153 selects a virtualpresentation from a list of virtual presentations stored within thememory 157 based on the data acquired during one or more of theoperations 712-716. In one or more embodiments, the virtual presentationcorresponds to the type of a playset. For example, a type of the playsetmay be determined form the acquired data. Further, if the type ofplayset is determined to be a castle, the controller 153 selects avirtual presentation that corresponds to an interior of a castle (e.g.,the virtual presentation 200 of FIG. 2B).

In one or more embodiments, the virtual presentation comprises virtualcontent including a virtual object that is generated based on the dataacquired during operations 712-716. For example, with regard to FIGS. 2Aand 2B, a virtual presentation of the object 130, virtual object 212,may include elements 212 a-212 c within the virtual presentation 200.Further, with reference to FIGS. 6B, the virtual presentation 614 mayinclude a virtualized object (e.g., a virtualized cake) as the objects612 are identified by the mobile device 150 as being elementscorresponding to a cake.

In one embodiment, a plurality of virtual presentations is stored withinthe memory 157. Further, the controller 153 selects a virtualpresentation from the plurality of virtual presentations based on theacquired data. For example, the controller 153 may determine one or morefeatures of the playset from the acquired data and compares the featuresto the plurality of virtual presentations to select a correspondingvirtual presentation. The virtual presentations may each include a oneor more attributes which may be compared against the determined featuresof the playset to determine a virtual presentation to select.

At operation 730, the virtual presentation is displayed on the displayon the display 152 of the mobile device 150. For example, the virtualpresentation selected during operation 720 is displayed on the display152 of the mobile device 150.

At operation 740, the controller 153 updates the virtual presentationdisplayed on the display 152. Updating the displayed virtualpresentation includes determining one or changes to an object (e.g., theobjects 130, 131, 132, 430, and 432). For example, the mobile device 150may detect the insertion, removal, and/or movement of an object relativeto an interior (e.g., the interior 104, 404) of a playset (e.g., theplayset 100, 400). In response to the detection of an insertion, removaland/or movement of an object relative to the interior the controller 153updates the virtual presentation displayed on the display 152 of themobile device 150. For example, the virtual presentation may be updatedto include a virtual presentation of an object inserted into theinterior, omit a virtual presentation of an object removed from theinterior, and/or move a virtual object when a position of an object ischanged within the interior. In various embodiments, operation 740 isoptional. For example, in one or more embodiments, the operation 740 maybe omitted from the method 700.

In one or more embodiments, the mobile device 150 uses the sensors 154to detect change to an object within an interior of the playset. Forexample, the camera 156 a may scan the interior of the playset atpredefined intervals to detect insertion, removal and/or movement of anobject within the interior. A predefined intervals may be once every Mseconds or once every M milliseconds, where M is one or more.

The mobile device 150 updates the displayed virtual presentation on thedisplay 152 in response to the insertion, removal, and/or movement ofthe object within the interior 104. Further, the mobile device 150 maydetect the removal of, insertion of, or movement of one or more of theobjects 430 and 432 of FIG. 5 . For example, the mobile device 150 mayupdate a virtual presentation to display an updated augmented view ofthe object 130 in response to the insertion of the object 430 into theinterior 405 or the removal of the of the object 430. For example, thepresentation of the object 430 may be updated to include or omit theobject 430 in response to insertion of the object 430 into the interior405 or the removal of the of the object 430, respectively.

In one embodiment, updating the displayed virtual presentation comprisesdisplaying a movie or an image, among others. For example, thecontroller 153 may update a displayed virtual presentation to show amovie in response to movement of the object 130 within interior 104. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 2 , in response to the detection of theobject 130 leaving the interior 104, a video showing a correspondingvirtual object is displayed on the display 152.

In one or more embodiments, updating a virtual presentation includesdetermining the position of a user relative to the mobile device 150.For example, the camera 156 b may be utilized to acquire the position ofa user relative to the mobile device 150. Acquiring the position of auser may include acquiring the position between a user's eyes relativeto the mobile device 150 and display 152. In one embodiment, as a usermoves in one or more of the X, Y, and Z direction relative to the mobiledevice 150, the virtual presentation is adjusted in a corresponding way.For example, if a user moves in the positive Z direction, the virtualpresentation may be shifted in a negative Z direction. The virtualpresentation may also be shifted in correlation to the angle determinedto be moved by the user. In other embodiments, determining the positionof a user relative to the mobile device 150 comprises determining theposition of a user's pupils. Further, as the user's pupils are to bemoved, the movement may be detected by the camera 156 b and the virtualpresentation may be adjusted accordingly.

Near-Field Communication Extending System

Playsets incorporate NFC devices to enhance the user experience of theplayset. For example, the NFC devices wirelessly communicate with amobile device 150 to communicate data to the mobile device 150 andgenerate an interaction within the mobile device. However, the userexperience of a playset including NFC devices is limited due to thelimited wirelessly communication range of the NFC devices. For example,a user may be required to move a mobile device within a playset tointeract with objects at different positions within the playset.However, the communication range may be increased by coupling each ofthe NFC devices to another NFC device (e.g., an NFC extender) whichwirelessly communicates with the mobile device. For example, NFC devicestypically have a communication range of about 10 cm, but that range maybe increased by incorporating additional NFC devices that are coupledtogether. Accordingly, the user experience is improved as the user maycommunicate with different parts of the playset without having to movethe mobile device around the playset.

FIG. 8 illustrates a playset 800, according to one or more embodiments.For example, the playset 800 includes an NFC extending system 805. Inone or more embodiments, the NFC extending system 805 comprises a mainantenna 812 and an extending antenna 822. Further, the NFC extendingsystem 805 includes connecting element 840 coupling the main antenna 812with the extending antenna 822. In other implementations, the mainantenna 812 is also part of an NFC device 810 and the extending antenna822 is part of an NFC device 820. The connecting element 840 comprisesone or more standard and/or impedance matched wires and/or cables. Invarious embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , an NFC extending system (e.g.,NFC extending system 905) may include two or more extending antennas(e.g., extending antennas 922 a and 922 b) coupled to a main antenna(e.g., the main antenna 912) via an antenna switching mechanism (e.g.,antenna switching mechanism 970). Such an embodiment is described ingreater detail with regard to FIG. 9 .

The extending antenna 822 is positioned within the interior 804 of theplayset 800. The main antenna 812 of the NFC extending system 805 iscoupled to the extending antenna 822 via the connecting element 840. TheNFC extending system 805 allows a mobile device (e.g. the mobile device150) to communicate with an NFC device (e.g., the object 830) that isoutside the range of the mobile device 150. Stated differently, the NFCextending system 805 allows a mobile device positioned external to theplayset 800 to communicate with the object 830 via the antenna 832 ofthe NFC tag 831 located within the interior 804 of the playset 800 whenthe mobile device 150 would be otherwise be unable to communicatedirectly with the NFC device in the object 830. Further, in embodimentswhere the NFC extending system is comprised of multiple extendingantennas 822, the NFC extending system allows a mobile device tocommunicate with multiple NFC devices located within the interior of aplayset.

The main antenna 812 of the NFC extending system 805 is configured tocouple with the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150. Further, theantenna 822 of the NFC extending system 805 is configured to communicatewith an antenna (e.g., the antenna 832) of an object (e.g., the object830) within the interior 804.

The mobile device 150 may provide a power signal to the antenna 832 ofthe NFC tag 831 of the object 830 via the NFC extending system 805. Inresponse to the receipt of the power signal, a processor 833 of theobject 830 access a memory 834 of the object 830 and communicates datacorresponding to the object 830 to the NFC device 155 of the mobiledevice 150 via the antenna 832 and the NFC extending system 805.

In various embodiments, the controller 153 of the mobile device 150accesses the memory 157 of the mobile device 150 to generate a soundfile to be played by the speaker 151 or to update an image or videodisplayed on the display 152 of the mobile device 150. For example, thecontroller 153 may access a sound file from the memory 157 thatcorresponds to the object 830 and plays the sound file via the speaker151. The sound file may include music, speech, sounds, or the like.Further, the controller 153 may access a video file, image file,application object, or game object from the memory 157 that correspondsto the object 830 and updates the displays 152 accordingly. In one ormore embodiments, the input device 160 may receive input data from auser that may be utilized by the controller 153 to alter a sound fileplaying by the mobile device 150, a video playing on the mobile device150, and/or an image displayed by the mobile device 150.

FIG. 9 illustrates playset 900 with multiple extending antennas,according to one or more embodiments. The playset 900 includes aninterior 904. Further, the playset 900 has rooms 906 and 907. Theplayset 900 includes the NFC extending system 905. The NFC extendingsystem 905 is disposed within the interior 904 and in rooms 906 and 907.The NFC extending system 905 includes the extending antennas 922 a and922 b and is configured to communicatively couple with an object (e.g.,the object 830 or 930) via an antenna switching mechanism 970. Further,the NFC extending system 905 includes connecting elements 940 a and 940b. The connecting elements 940 a and 940 b may each include one or morestandard and or impedance matched wires and/or cables. Additionally, inother implementations, the extending antenna 922 a is part of an NFCdevice 920 a and the extending antenna 922 b is part of an NFC device920 b.

The antenna switching mechanism 970 is coupled to the main antenna 812.The antenna switching mechanism 970 may be wirelessly powered by the NFCdevice 155 of the mobile device 150. Alternatively, the antennaswitching mechanism 970 may be powered by a local power source (e.g.,one or more batteries). In embodiments where the antenna switchingmechanism 970 is wirelessly powered, the antenna switching mechanism 970may be referred to as a wirelessly powered antenna switching mechanism.Further, in such embodiments, the antenna switching mechanism 970wirelessly receives a power signal from the antenna of the NFC device155 which powers the antenna switching mechanism 970.

The antenna switching mechanism 970 may be disposed external to theplayset 900 or internal to the playset 900 in the interior 904. Further,each of the rooms 906 and 907 may have one or more NFC devices 920 andcorresponding extending antennas 922. For example, each of the rooms mayhave two or more extending antennas 922.

The antenna switching mechanism 970 sequentially couples the mainantenna 912 to each of the extending antennas (e.g., extending antennas922 a and 922 b) of the NFC extending system 905. For example, in afirst state, the antenna switching mechanism 970 couples the mainantenna 912 to the extending antenna 922 a and decouples the extendingantenna 922 b from main antenna 912. In a second state, the antennaswitching mechanism 970 couples the main antenna 912 to the extendingantenna 922 b and decouples the extending antenna 922 a from mainantenna 912.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 , in the first state, the antenna switchingmechanism 970 couples the mobile device 150 to the object 830 via theextending antenna 922 a of NFC extending system 905. In one embodiment,in the first state, the mobile device 150 transmits a power signalthrough the NFC extending system 905 to the antenna 932 of the object830 to power and communicate with the NFC tag 831 of the object 830.Further, in the second state, the antenna switching mechanism 970couples the mobile device 150 to the object 930. Additionally, in thesecond state, the mobile device 150 transmits a power signal through theNFC extending system 905 to the antenna 932 of the object 930 to powerand communicate with the NFC tag 931 of the object 930.

The antenna switching mechanism 970 includes a control switching element972. The control switching element 972 may be wirelessly powered by amobile device (e.g., the mobile device 150) or powered by a local source(e.g., a battery). Further, the control switching element 972 may bepowered the same way as the antenna switching mechanism 970. The controlswitching element 972 controls the state of the antenna switchingmechanism 970. For example, the control switching element 972 controlswhether the antenna switching mechanism 970 couples the main antenna 912with the extending antenna 922 a or 922 b.

The control switching element 972 may be preprogrammed to periodicallyswitch between the first and second states that connect extendingantennas 922 a and 922 b respectively to the main antenna 912.Alternatively, the control switching element 972 may be controlled bythe mobile device 150. For example, the mobile device 150 may transmit apower signal and control signal to the control switching element 972 toswitch the antenna switching mechanism 970 between the first and secondstates. The timing of when the control switching element 972 changes theantenna switching mechanism 970 between states may correspond to atiming of when the power signal is provided by the mobile device 150.For example, each time the control switching element 972 receives thepower signal, the control switching element 972 switches the state ofthe antenna switching mechanism 970. In embodiments where the antennaswitching mechanism 970 can be coupled to two or more extending antennasand comprises two of more states, the control switching element 972 mayswitch the antenna switching mechanism 970 between each of the states ofthe antenna switching mechanism 970.

In one or more embodiments, the control switching element 972 may switchthe antenna switching mechanism 970 between each of the states of theantenna switching mechanism 970 at a first rate. For example, inembodiments where the antenna switching mechanism 970 comprises twostates, the control switching element 972 switches the antenna switchingmechanism 970 from the first state to the second state and from thesecond state to the first state at a first rate. In one or moreembodiments, the control switching element 972 may switch the antennaswitching mechanism 970 between each of the states of the antennaswitching mechanism 970 using different rates. For example, the antennaswitching mechanism 970 may be positioned in the first state for a firstperiod of time and in the second state for a second period of time,where the first period time is equal to, longer than or shorter than thesecond period of time.

FIG. 10 illustrates a playset 1000, according to one or moreembodiments. The playset 1000 is configured similar to that of theplaysets 800 and 900. For example, the playset 1000 includes NFCextending systems 805 and 1005 that extend the NFC range of the mobiledevice 150. The NFC extending system 1005 is configured similar to thatof the NFC extending system 805. For example, the NFC extending system1005 includes extending antenna 1022, main antenna 1012 and connectingelement 1060. The main antenna 1012 is coupled to the extending antenna1022 via the connecting element 1060. Further, the main antenna 1012 isdisposed within a NFC device 1010 positioned external to the playset1000 while the extending antenna 1022 is disposed within a NFC device1020 disposed within room 1006 in the interior 1004 of the playset 1000.Additionally, the connecting element 1060 is configured similar to thatof the connection element 840.

As compared to the embodiment of FIG. 9 , the embodiment of FIG. 10 mayomit the antenna switching mechanism 970. For example, in the embodimentof FIG. 10 , each of the extending antennas 822 and 1022 is coupled to acorresponding main antenna 812 and 1012, respectively. As anotherexample, each of the extending antennas 822 and 1022, of the NFC devices820 and 920, respectively, are coupled to a corresponding main antenna812 and 1012 of the NFC devices 810 and 1010, respectively. In otherembodiments, while each of the NFC extending systems 805 and 1005 areillustrated as comprising a single extending antenna (e.g., extendingantennas 822 and 1022, respectively), one or more of the NFC extendingsystems 805 and 1005 comprise multiple extending antennas. In suchembodiments, the NFC extending systems 805 and 1005 are configuredsimilar to that of NFC extending system 905 and comprise an antennaswitching mechanism coupled between the extending antennas and thecorresponding main antenna.

The NFC extending systems 805 and 1005 wirelessly couple the mobiledevice 150 to the object 830, and the object 930, respectively. Forexample, the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 includes an antennathat couples to the main antenna 812. In embodiments employing RFIDtechnologies, the NFC device 155 transmits a power signal that isreceived by the main antenna 812 and transmitted to the antenna 822 viathe connecting element 840. The antenna 822 transmits the power signalto the antenna 832 of the object 830. In response to the receipt of thepower signal, a processor of the object 830 transmits informationcorresponding to the object 830 to the NFC device 155 of the mobiledevice 150 through NFC extending system 805. Further, the NFC device 155of the mobile device 150 includes an antenna that couples to the mainantenna 1012 of the NFC extending system 1005. In embodiments employingRFID technologies, the NFC device 155 transmits a power signal that isreceived by the main antenna 1012 and transmitted to the extendingantenna 1022 via the connecting element 1060. In response to the receiptof the power signal, a processor of the object 930 transmits informationcorresponding to the object 930 to the NFC device 155 through the NFCextending system 1005.

In one or more embodiments, a first mobile device couples to the NFCextending system 805 during a first period and a second mobile devicecouples to the NFC extending system 1005 during a second period. Thefirst and second periods at least partially overlap. Alternatively, thefirst and second periods are non-overlapping. Further, in anotherembodiment, during a first period the mobile device 150 couples to theNFC extending system 805 and during a second period the mobile device150 couples to the NFC extending system 1005.

Further, the NFC extending systems 805 and 1005 may be positioned withina common room. For example, while the extending antennas 822 and 1022are illustrated as being positioned in different rooms (e.g., the rooms1006 and 1007) of the playset 1000, the extending antennas 822 and 1022may be disposed in a common room (e.g., either the room 1006 or 1007).Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of the NFC extending systems805 and 1005 may include an extending antenna positioned in a first room(e.g., the room 1006) and an extending antenna positioned in a secondroom (e.g., the room 1007). In such embodiments, one or more of the NFCextending system 805 and 1005 may be configured similar to that of NFCextending system 905. Additionally, or alternatively, the playset 1000may include more than two NFC extending systems positioned in one ormore rooms within the interior 1004 of the playset 1000.

In various embodiments, the embodiments of FIGS. 8-10 may be combinedwith those of FIGS. 1 and 4 . For example, NFC devices as described inthe embodiments of FIGS. 8-10 may be utilized within the playset 100 orthe playset 400. With regard to FIG. 1A, the opening 110 may be replacedwith an NFC device such as NFC device 810, the NFC device 820 and theconnection element 840 of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method 1100 for interacting with a playset,according to one or more embodiments. At operation 1110, a first antenna(e.g., the main antenna 912 of the NFC extending system 905) is coupledto a first one of a plurality of antennas (e.g., the extending antennaof 922 a or the extending antenna 922 b of the NFC extending system 905)during a first period. In one embodiment, the antenna switchingmechanism 970 couples the main antenna 912 of the NFC device 910 withthe extending antenna 922 a of the NFC extending system 905 during thefirst period. Alternatively, the antenna switching mechanism 970 couplesthe main antenna 912 of the NFC device 910 with the extending antenna922 b of the NFC extending system 905 during the first period. Further,during the operation 1110, the antenna switching mechanism 970 mayreceive a power signal wirelessly from the NFC device 155 of the mobiledevice 150 such that the switching mechanism is wirelessly powered andcouples the main antenna 912 with one of the extending antennas 922 aand 922 b. Additionally, the control switching element 972 may bewirelessly powered and configured to switch the antenna switchingmechanism 970 between the extending antennas 922 a and 922 b in responseto receiving the power signal.

At operation 1120, the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 acquiresdata from a first object. For example, the NFC device 155 wirelesslyacquires data from an object wirelessly coupled to the extending antenna922 a via the NFC extending system 905. Alternatively, the NFC device155 is wirelessly coupled to the extending antenna 922 b and acquiresdata from an object wirelessly coupled to the extending antenna 922 bvia the NFC extending system 905.

At operation 1130, the first antenna (e.g., the main antenna 912 of theNFC device 910) is coupled to a second one of a plurality of antennas(e.g., the other one of the extending antenna of 922 a and the extendingantenna 922 b of the NFC extending system 905) during a second period.In one embodiment, if the extending antenna 922 b was coupled to themain antenna 812 during the first period, the antenna switchingmechanism 970 couples the main antenna 812 with the extending antenna922 a during the second period. Alternatively, if the extending antenna922 a was coupled to the main antenna 912 during the first period, theantenna switching mechanism 970 couples the main antenna 912 with theextending antenna 922 b during the second period. The second period isnon-overlapping with the first period. Further, during the operation1130, the antenna switching mechanism 970 may receive a power signalwirelessly from the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 such thatthe switching mechanism is wirelessly powered and couples the mainantenna 912 with one of the extending antennas 922 a and 922 b.Additionally, the control switching element 972 may be wirelesslypowered and configured to switch the antenna switching mechanism 970between the extending antennas 922 a and 922 b in response to receivingthe power signal.

At operation 1140, the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 acquiresdata from a first object. For example, the NFC device 155 is wirelesslycoupled to an object wirelessly coupled to the extending antenna 922 aand acquires data from the object via the NFC extending system 905.Alternatively, the NFC device 155 is wirelessly coupled to an objectwirelessly coupled to the extending antenna 922 b and acquires data fromthe object via the NFC extending system 905.

The mobile device 150 may play a sound file via the speaker 151 based onthe data acquired during one or more of the operations 1120 and 1140. Inone embodiment, the mobile device 150 plays a first sound file via thespeaker 151 based on data acquired during the operation 1120 and asecond sound file via the speaker 151 based on data acquired during theoperation 1140. For example, the controller 153 locates a sound filefrom the memory 157 based on the data acquired during the operation 1120and/or 1140. Alternatively, or additionally, the mobile device 150 maydisplay an image or movie in response to the data acquired during one ormore of the operations 1120 and 1140. For example, the controller 153locates a movie file from the memory 157 based on the data acquiredduring the operation 1120 and/or 1140 which is displayed on the display152. A first image or movie may be displayed based on data acquiredduring the operation 1120. Further, a second image or movie may bedisplayed based on data acquired during the operation 1140.

Dual Near-Field Communication Tags

FIG. 12 illustrates an NFC device 1200, according to one or moreembodiments. The NFC device 1200 includes an NFC tag 1210, an NFC tag1220 and a shield 1230. The shield 1230 shields the NFC tag 1210 fromthe NFC tag 1220. Further, the shield 1230 may be referred to as ashield layer. The NFC tag 1210 and the NFC tag 1220 may be passively oractively powered. For example, in one embodiment, the NFC tag 1210 andthe NFC tag 1220 are passively powered receive power from an externaldevice, e.g., the mobile device 150. In another embodiment, the NFC tag1210 and the NFC tag 1220 are actively powered comprising a powersupply. Further, the NFC tags 1210 and 1220 may be coupled to a commonpower supply.

As illustrated in FIG. 13A, the NFC tag 1210 includes an antenna 1212, aprocessor 1214, memory 1216, and a substrate 1218. The antenna 1212, theprocessor 1214, and the memory 1216 are disposed on the substrate 1218.The processor 1214 is powered by a power signal provided by an externaldevice, e.g., the mobile device 150 or a local power supply. Theprocessor 1214 is communicatively coupled with the memory 1216. Forexample, the processor 1214 accesses information within the memory 1216and communicates the information to an external device, e.g., the mobiledevice 150, via the antenna 1212. The memory 1216 stores informationregarding a corresponding device. For example, the memory 1216 storesinformation regarding a corresponding object or objects.

As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the NFC tag 1220 includes an antenna 1222, aprocessor 1224, memory 1226, and a substrate 1228. The antenna 1222, theprocessor 1224, and the memory 1226 are disposed on the substrate 1228.The processor 1224 is powered by a power signal provided by an externaldevice, e.g., the mobile device 150 or a local power supply. Theprocessor 1224 is communicatively coupled with the memory 1226. Forexample, the processor 1224 accesses information within the memory 1226and communicates the information to an external device, e.g., the mobiledevice 150, via the antenna 1222. The memory 1226 stores informationregarding a corresponding device. For example, the memory 1226 storesinformation regarding a corresponding object or object.

The shield 1230 may comprise a ferrite material. For example, the shield1230 may comprise an iron oxide. The surface area of the shield 1230 maybe larger than the outer boundary of each of the antennas of the NFCtags 1210 and 1220. For example, the antennas of the NFC tags 1210 and1220 may be bounded on all sides by the shield 1230. In variousembodiments, the shield 1230 may be attached to the NFC tags 1210 and1220 via an adhesive. Alternatively, the shield 1230 may be attached tothe NFC tags 1210 and 1220 through other methods. The shield 1230isolates a magnetic field generated within the NFC tag 1210 from amagnetic field generated in NFC tag 1220. Accordingly, the shield 1230prevents energy generated within the antenna 1212 of the NFC tag 1210from interacting with energy generated within the antenna 1222 of theNFC tag 1220. Further, the shield 1230 prevents energy generated withinthe antenna 1222 of the NFC tag 1220 from interacting with energygenerated within the antenna 1212 of the NFC tag 1210. For example, whena mobile device, e.g., the mobile device 150, is brought proximate theNFC tag 1210, energy is generated in the NFC tag 1210 and the shield1230 prevents energy from being generated in the NFC tag 1220. Further,when a mobile device, e.g., the mobile device 150, is brought proximatethe NFC tag 1220, energy is generated in the NFC tag 1220 and the shield1230 prevents energy from being generated in the NFC tag 1210.

FIG. 14 illustrates an NFC device 1400. The NFC device 1400 includessides 1402, 1404, and 1406. An NFC tag 1410 is disposed on side 1402,the NFC tag 1420 is disposed on side 1404, and the NFC tag 1430 isdisposed on side 1406. Further, the NFC device 1400 may have additionalsides not visible in FIG. 14 . Additionally, an NFC tag may be disposedalong each of the non-visible sides. In one or more embodiments, the NFCdevice 1400 includes three or more sides. Accordingly, the NFC device1400 includes three or more NFC tags. Further, each of the NFC tags1410, 1420, and 1430 may be configured similar to that of the NFC tags1210 and 1220.

FIG. 15 illustrates the NFC device 1400 with the sides 1402, 1404, and1406 made transparent such that the shield 1440 is visible. The shield1440 may be configured similar to that of shield 1230 of FIG. 13B. Forexample, the shield 1440 isolates the NFC tags 1410, 1420, and 1430 fromeach other as described with regard to shield 1230 and NFC tags 1210 and1220 of FIG. 12 . The surface area of each side of the shield 1440 islarger than an outer boundary of the antenna of each corresponding NFCtag (e.g., the NFC tags 1410, 1420, and 1430). For example, the antennaof each NFC tag (e.g., the NFC tags 1410, 1420, and 1430) is bounded onall sides by a corresponding side of the shield 1440.

In one or more embodiments, a shield may be disposed along each side ofthe NFC device 1400. For example, a different shield may be attached toa side of the NFC device 1400 opposite each NFC tag.

FIG. 16 illustrates an NFC device 1600. The NFC device 1600 includes theNFC tag 1210, the NFC tag 1220, and the shield 1230. The NFC device 1600additionally includes housing 1610. The housing 1610 may includeillustrations on one or more of the surfaces 1620 and 1630. Theillustrations on the surfaces 1620 and 1630 may correspond to the NFCtag 1210 and the NFC tag 1220, respectively. For example, anillustration on the surface 1620 is different from an illustration onthe surface 1630. Further, in addition to or alternatively toillustrations, the surface 1620 may have one of a first shape andfeature and the surface 1630 may have one of a second shape and feature.The first shape and feature may differ from the second shape andfeature.

FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart of method 1700 for interacting within anobject, according to one or more embodiments. At operation 1710, the NFCtag 1210 is powered and data is received from the NFC tag 1210. Forexample, in one or more embodiments, when a mobile device, e.g., themobile device 150, is positioned proximate the NFC tag 1210, a powersignal provided by the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 isreceived by the antenna 1212 and communicated to the processor 1214. Inresponse to receipt of the power (e.g., query) signal, the processor1214 accesses the memory 1216 and transmits data corresponding to theNFC tag 1210 to the mobile device 150 via the antenna 1212. For example,the first action corresponds to a first state the NFC device 1600.Further, due to the shield 1230, the mobile device 150 is not able tocommunicate with the NFC tag 1220. In one specific embodiment, the NFCdevice 1600 corresponds to a piece of bacon and the first statecorresponds to a raw, or uncooked, state. That is, one side of the NFCdevice can have a picture of raw bacon while the opposite side containsa picture of cooked bacon.

At operation 1720, the mobile device 150 generates first instructionsbased on the first data received from the NFC tag 1210. For example, themobile device 150 generates first instructions corresponding to thefirst state of the NFC device 1600. In one embodiment, the firstinstructions initiate a function within an application executing on themobile device 150. For example, the first instructions initiate acounter within the application running on the mobile device 150. Thecounter may be displayed to a user of the mobile device 150 via display152. At the completion of the counter, the mobile device 150 mayinstruct a user to change the position of the NFC device 1600 such thatthe NFC tag 1220 is communicatively coupled to the NFC device of themobile device 150.

At operation 1730, the NFC tag 1220 is powered and data is received fromthe NFC tag 1220. For example, in one or more embodiments, a powersignal provided by the NFC device 155 of the mobile device 150 isreceived by the antenna 1222 and communicated to the processor 1224. Inresponse to receipt of the query signal, the processor 1224 accesses thememory 1226 and transmits data corresponding to the NFC tag 1220 to themobile device 150 via the antenna 1222. For example, the second actioncorresponds to a second state the NFC device 1600. In one embodiment,the second state corresponds to bacon in a cooked state.

At operation 1740, the mobile device 150 generates second instructionsbased on the second data received from the NFC tag 1220. For example,the mobile device 150 generates second instructions corresponding to thesecond state of the NFC device 1600. In one embodiment, the secondinstructions initiate a function within an application executing on themobile device 150. For example, the second instructions initiate adisplayed image or video output a sound indicating a correspondingaction is complete. For example, a bell sound may be output via thespeaker 151 indicating the bacon has been cooked.

In one or more embodiments, an NFC device having one or more NFC tagsand a shield (e.g., the NFC device 1200 or 1600) may be utilized withina playset, such as playset 100 or 400. For example, one or more of theidentification tag 431 of the object 430 and the object 432 of FIG. 4may include two more NFC tags and a shield as illustrated in FIG. 12 .In one embodiment, the identification tag 431 is configured similar tothat of the NFC device 1200. In such an embodiment, the identificationtag 431 includes two NFC tags separated by a shield. When utilized withthe playset, during a first time period the object 430 may be positionedwith a first orientation relative to the mobile device 150 such that afirst NFC tag may be read by the NFC device 155. Further, a second timeperiod the object 430 may be positioned with a second orientationrelative to the mobile device 150 such that a second NFC tag may be readby the NFC device 155. The first and second NFC tags may correspond to afirst and second state, respectively, of the object 430. Alternatively,the first and second NFC tags may correspond to a first object 430 and asecond object, respectively.

In various embodiments, an NFC device comprising one or more NFC tagsmay be utilized with a playset configured similar to that of the playset800 of FIG. 8 , the playset of FIG. 9 , and/or the playset of FIG. 10 .For example, the NFC device 1200 may be utilized in the place of object830 and/or 930 in the embodiments of FIGS. 8, 9 and/or 10 . In oneembodiment, with reference to FIG. 8 , during a first period, the NFCtag 1210 couples with the NFC device 820 and during a second period theNFC tag 1220 couples with the NFC device 820. Further, with reference toFIG. 9 , during a first period, the NFC tag 1210 couples with the NFCdevice 920 and during a second period the NFC tag 1220 couples with theNFC device 920. Additionally, with reference to FIG. 10 , during a firstperiod, the NFC tag 1210 couples with the NFC device 920 and during asecond period the NFC tag 1220 couples with the NFC device 920.

In the current disclosure, reference is made to various embodiments.However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is notlimited to specific described embodiments. Instead, any combination ofthe following features and elements, whether related to differentembodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice theteachings provided herein. Additionally, when elements of theembodiments are described in the form of “at least one of A and B,” itwill be understood that embodiments including element A exclusively,including element B exclusively, and including element A and B are eachcontemplated. Furthermore, although some embodiments may achieveadvantages over other possible solutions or over the prior art, whetheror not a particular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is notlimiting of the present disclosure. Thus, the aspects, features,embodiments and advantages disclosed herein are merely illustrative andare not considered elements or limitations of the appended claims exceptwhere explicitly recited in a claim(s). Likewise, reference to “theinvention” shall not be construed as a generalization of any inventivesubject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered to be anelement or limitation of the appended claims except where explicitlyrecited in a claim(s).

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments describedherein may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining softwareand hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, embodiments describedherein may take the form of a computer program product embodied in oneor more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable programcode embodied thereon.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. It will be understood that each block of theflowchart illustrations or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks inthe flowchart illustrations or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe block(s) of the flowchart illustrations or block diagrams.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other device to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the block(s) of the flowchartillustrations or block diagrams.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause aseries of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implementedprocess such that the instructions which execute on the computer, otherprogrammable data processing apparatus, or other device provideprocesses for implementing the functions/acts specified in the block(s)of the flowchart illustrations or block diagrams.

The flowchart illustrations and block diagrams in the Figures illustratethe architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of systems, methods, and computer program productsaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In thisregard, each block in the flowchart illustrations or block diagrams mayrepresent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one ormore executable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order or out of order, dependingupon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each blockof the block diagrams or flowchart illustrations, and combinations ofblocks in the block diagrams or flowchart illustrations, can beimplemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform thespecified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A near field communication (NFC) devicecomprises: a first NFC tag comprising a first substrate and a firstantenna coupled to a first memory, wherein the first antenna is disposedon the first substrate; second NFC tag comprising a second substrate anda second antenna coupled to a second memory, wherein the second antennais disposed on the second substrate; and a shield disposed between thefirst and second NFC tags, wherein the shield comprises a first sideattached to and in a fixed relationship with the first substrate, asecond side attached to and in a fixed relationship with the secondsubstrate, and a ferrite material and, wherein the shield bounds eachside of the first antenna and each side of the second antenna, and thefirst side is opposite the second side.
 2. The NFC device of claim 1further comprising: a third NFC tag comprising a third antenna coupled athird memory; and a fourth NFC tag comprising a fourth antenna to afourth memory.
 3. The NFC device of claim 2, wherein the shield furtherbounds each side of the third antenna and the fourth antenna.
 4. The NFCdevice of claim 1, wherein the first NFC tag and the second NFC tag areconfigured to be powered by a power signal provided by an antennaexternal to the NFC device, and wherein when the first NFC tag ispowered by the power signal the shield is configured to prevent thepower signal from powering the second NFC tag, and when the second NFCtag is powered by the power signal the shield is configured to preventthe power signal from powering the first NFC tag.
 5. The NFC device ofclaim 1, wherein the first memory comprises first data associated with afirst state of the NFC device, and the second memory comprises seconddata associated with a second state of the NFC device.
 6. The NFC deviceof claim 5, wherein the first NFC tag further comprises a firstprocessor configured to transmit the first data based on receiving apower signal, and the second NFC tag further compresses a secondprocessor configured to transmit the second data based on receiving thepower signal.
 7. The NFC device of claim 1 further comprises a housingsurrounding the first NFC tag, the second NFC tag, and the shield, thehousing comprising: a first surface having a first indicator, where thefirst surface corresponds to the first NFC tag, and the first indicatorcorresponds to a first state of the NFC device; and a second surfacehaving a second indicator, where the second surface corresponds to thesecond NFC tag, and the second indicator corresponds to a second stateof the NFC device.
 8. The NFC device of claim 7, wherein the firstindicator is one or more of an illustration, a shape, and a feature, andthe second indicator is one or more of an illustration, a shape, and afeature.
 9. A near field communication (NFC) device comprising a housingcomprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the firstsurface; a first NFC tag disposed within the housing and comprising afirst substrate and a first antenna disposed on the first substrate, thefirst antenna associated with the first surface; a second NFC tagdisposed within the housing and comprising a second substrate and asecond antenna disposed on the second substrate, the second antennaassociated with the second surface; and a shield disposed between thefirst and second NFC tags and within the housing, the shield comprisinga first side that is attached to and in a fixed relationship with thefirst substrate and a second side that is attached to and in a fixedrelationship with the second substrate, wherein the first side isopposite the second side.
 10. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein theshield comprises a ferrite material and extends beyond a boundary of thefirst antenna and a boundary of the second antenna.
 11. The NFC deviceof claim 9, wherein the first surface comprises a first indicatorcorresponding to a first state of the NFC device, and wherein the secondsurface comprises a second indicator corresponding to a second state ofthe NFC device.
 12. The NFC device of claim 11, wherein the firstindicator is one or more of an illustration, a shape, and a feature, andthe second indicator is one or more of an illustration, a shape, and afeature.
 13. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein the first NFC tag andthe second NFC tag are configured to be powered by a power signalprovided by an antenna external to the NFC device, and wherein when thefirst NFC tag is powered by the power signal the shield is configured toprevent the power signal from powering the second NFC tag, and when thesecond NFC tag is powered by the power signal the shield is configuredto prevent the power signal from powering the first NFC tag.
 14. The NFCdevice of claim 9, wherein the first NFC tag further comprises a firstmemory comprising first data associated with a first state of the NFCdevice, and the second NFC tag further comprises a second memorycomprising second data associated with a second state of the NFC device.15. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the first NFC tag furthercomprises a first processor configured to transmit the first data basedon receiving a power signal, and the second NFC tag further comprises asecond processor configured to transmit the second data based onreceiving the power signal.